http://www.collegefootballnews.com/2003/Columnists/MZ/Weekly_Affirmation/Weekly_Affirmation.htm Well, let’s see here: before Monday’s BCS standings come out, the projections done by experts are already saying that Ohio State, WITHOUT HAVING BEATEN MICHIGAN YET, is the second-best team in the country. If the Buckeyes win in Ann Arbor this Saturday (more on that very shortly), they would be very deserving of a shot at Oklahoma. But the mere fact that they could be ranked second before taking down the Wolverines is, quite frankly, an insult to USC and, moreover, LSU. If human beings were the decision makers here, they’d most assuredly have USC and LSU ahead of Ohio State at THIS POINT. Yes, it would just as logically follow that many people would indeed vault Ohio State ahead of USC and LSU if the Bucks were to win at Michigan, but right now, ranking the Bucks second is just plain fallacious. What does that say to the Trojans and Tigers about the meaning of their remaining games? Seems like this talk of a playoff really doesn’t hold much water in the end. Here’s the messiness of the BCS, part 10,264,927: Ohio State fans say, with considerable justification, that USC can’t—CAN’T!—be ranked second. No way! Not with that loss at Cal! You can’t lose to Cal and expect to play for a national title! That’s a very fair and legitimate argument Buckeye fans bring up. It’s the best argument they have. But then you get to a straight-up comparison of LSU and Ohio State: isn’t Florida, the team that beat LSU, better by any objective standard than Wisconsin, a team that, before its blitzing of Michigan State, was in a total death spiral? And doesn’t Michigan State’s current free-fall also detract from Ohio State’s portfolio? Buckeye fans can’t have it both ways: either they’re better than USC but worse than LSU in the rankings. They can’t claim—BEFORE THE MICHIGAN GAME—to deserve a better ranking than both teams… not if they’re going to talk about the comparative merits and weaknesses of each team’s individual loss. But Buckeye fans, to be more than fair to them, are only doing what any other self-respecting fans would do: they’re pushing for their team to get the best possible hearing in the public. They want to do whatever they can to get AP writers—Pete Fiutak, the publisher of CFN, gets a vote in the AP poll, so Buckeye fans are very astute and politically active when they pile on the e-mails to this site—to nudge OSU from fourth in the polls to second, so that the two BCS points the Bucks could possibly earn with a poll jump will come into play… and potentially make the difference between the Sugar and Rose Bowls. Doesn’t the messiness of these arguments demand a playoff? Doesn’t there need to be a way to resolve these impossible squabbles that satisfy no one?
If "never-ending-rabbit-foot" Ohio State jumps BOTH LSU AND USC, I'll be one pissed off Cajun! The buckeyes don't deserve to jump that high and be given the number 2 spot. ...I guess the arguement is for not, because their luck will run out this coming weekend in Ann Arbor. Michigan will smoke 'em--and I hope they do just that!
Lets hope they do kick OSU's ass.................knock on wood...................everyone should start collecting good luck objects like four leaf clover or a horseshoe or leprichan..........................that way we will have all the luck in the world
I really hope Michigan destroys OSU, but even if they don't, OSU is likely to win by only a few points. If LSU can handle Ole Miss this weekend like we've been doing the rest of our schedule, OSU shouldn't pull ahead of us by that much, if anything. That leaves us with the remaining game or two to leap frog them back, because this is Ohio State's last game. This is their last chance to make a statement to the voters.
Let's look at this from a glass half-full perspective: by jumping USC in the BCS, Ohio State stops people from talking about Oklahoma-USC as an inevitable Sugar Bowl matchup and opens the door to, once Ohio State loses this week (and, believe me, they will), a discussion of who deserves to be #2: LSU or USC. It's a minor yet psychologically noteworthy distinction, since LSU would not be "jumping" an already #2 USC team but put on equal footing in the "who's #2" debate, starting about 2:30 pm central time on Sat (when the Michigan win should be final).
